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Iqaluit (IPA: /ɨˈkæljuːɨt/; IPA: [iqaluit], ᐃᖃᓗᐃᑦ in Inuktitut syllabics), formerly Frobisher Bay, is the territorial capital and the largest community of Canada's youngest territory, Nunavut. As of the 2006 census the population was 6,184, an increase of 18.1% from the 2001 census; it has the lowest population of any capital city in Canada.[1] Iqaluit was selected to serve as the new territory's capital in a territory-wide referendum, in which it was chosen over Rankin Inlet. Inhabitants of Iqaluit are called Iqalummiut (singular: Iqalummiuq).
History
Begun in 1942 as an American airbase, Iqaluit's first permanent inhabitant was Nakasuk, an Inuk guide who helped American planners to choose the site. One of Iqaluit's elementary schools is named after Nakasuk. Long regarded as a campsite and fishing spot by the Inuit, the place chosen had traditionally been named Iqaluit - "many fish" in Inuktitut - but Canadian and American authorities baptised it Frobisher Bay, after the official name of the body of water it abuts.
The Hudson's Bay Company moved its south Baffin operations to the neighbouring valley of Niaqunngut, officially called Apex, in 1949 to take advantage of the airfield. The population of Frobisher Bay increased rapidly during the construction of the Distant Early Warning Line (DEW line, a system of radar stations, see NORAD) in the mid-1950s. Hundreds of construction workers, military personnel and administrative staff moved into the community, and several hundred Inuit followed to take advantage of the access to medical care and jobs the base provided. Of the town's 1,200 residents, 489 were reported to be Inuit in 1957. After 1959, the Canadian government established permanent services at Frobisher Bay, including full-time doctors, a school and social services. The Inuit population grew rapidly in response, as the government encouraged Inuit to settle permanently in communities with government services.
The American military left Iqaluit in 1963, as ICBMs diminished the strategic value of the DEW line and Arctic airbases, but Frobisher Bay remained the government's administrative and logistical centre for much of the eastern Arctic. In 1964, the first elections were held for a community council, and in 1979 for the first mayor. The founding of the Gordon Robertson Educational Centre (now Inukshuk high school) in the early-1970s at Iqaluit confirmed the government's commitment to the community as an administrative centre. At the time of its founding, it was the sole high school operating in more than a seventh of Canadian territory.
On January 1, 1987, the name of this municipality was officially changed from "Frobisher Bay" to "Iqaluit" - aligning official usage with the name that the Inuit population had always used. In December 1995, it was selected in a referendum to be the future capital of Nunavut and on April 19, 2001 it was officially recognized as a city.
Timeline
- 1576 - Englishman Martin Frobisher sails into Frobisher Bay believing he has found the route to China
- 1861 - Charles Francis Hall, an American, camps at the Sylvia Grinnell River and explores the waters of Koojesse Inlet, which he names after his Inuit guide
- 1942 - U.S. Army Air Corps selects Iqaluit’s current location as the site of a major air base
- 1949 - The HBC moves its trading post from Ward Inlet to Apex
- 1955 - Frobisher Bay becomes the centre for U.S. Canada Dew Line construction operations
- 1958 - Telephone exchange service established by Bell Canada
- 1963 - US military move out of Iqaluit
- 1964 - First community council formed; population of Frobisher Bay is 900
- 1970 - Frobisher Bay officially recognized as a Settlement
- 1974 - Settlement of Frobisher Bay gains village status
- 1976 - Inuit present the Nunavut proposal to the Federal government
- 1979 - First mayor elected
- 1980 - Frobisher Bay designated as a town
- 1982 - Government of Canada agrees in principle to the creation of Nunavut
- 1987 - Frobisher Bay officially becomes Iqaluit, reverting to its original Inuktitut name meaning "place of many fish"
- 1993 - The Nunavut Land Claim Agreement is signed in Iqaluit
- 1995 - Nunavut residents select Iqaluit as capital of the new territory[2]
- April 1, 1999 - The Territory of Nunavut officially comes into being
- April 19, 2001 - Iqaluit receives its Order of Official status as a city
Geography
Iqaluit is located in the Everett Mountains rising from Koojesse Inlet, an inlet of Frobisher Bay, on the south-east part of Baffin Island. It is well to the east of Nunavut's mainland, and northeast of Hudson Bay.
Communities
- Apex
About 5 km south-east (63°43′48″N 068°26′48″W / 63.73, -68.44667 (Apex)) from Iqaluit's centre is the community of Apex, or in Inuktitut known as Niaqunngut. It is located on a small peninsula separating Koojesse Inlet from Tarr Inlet. Historically Apex was the place where most Inuit lived when Iqaluit was a military site and off-limits to anyone not working at the base. Located here are the women's shelter, a church, a primary school, and a bed-and-breakfast.
Climate
Iqaluit has a typically arctic climate, with very cold winters and short summers that are too cool to permit the growth of trees. Average monthly temperatures are below freezing for eight months of the year.[3]. Iqaluit's precipitation averages just over 400 millimetres annually, much wetter than many other localities in the Canadian Arctic islands, with the summer being the wettest season.
| Iqaluit Climatological Data |
| Temperature |
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
Mean |
| Record high °C (°F) |
4 (39) |
4 (39) |
4 (39) |
7 (45) |
13 (55) |
22 (72) |
26 (79) |
26 (79) |
17 (63) |
7 (45) |
6 (43) |
4 (39) |
|
|
| Average high °C (°F) |
-23 (-9) |
-24 (-11) |
-19 (-2) |
-10 (14) |
-1 (30) |
7 (45) |
12 (54) |
10 (50) |
5 (41) |
-2 (28) |
-9 (16) |
-19 (-2) |
|
-6 (21) |
| Mean °C (°F) |
-27 (-17) |
-28 (-18) |
-24 (-11) |
-15 (5) |
-4 (25) |
4 (39) |
8 (46) |
7 (45) |
2 (36) |
-5 (23) |
-13 (9) |
-23 (-9) |
|
-10 (14) |
| Average low °C (°F) |
-31 (-24) |
-32 (-26) |
-29 (-20) |
-20 (-4) |
-8 (18) |
0 (32) |
4 (39) |
3 (37) |
-0 (32) |
-8 (18) |
-18 (-0) |
-27 (-17) |
|
-14 (7) |
| Record low °C (°F) |
-45 (-49) |
-46 (-51) |
-45 (-49) |
-34 (-29) |
-26 (-15) |
-10 (14) |
-3 (27) |
-3 (27) |
-13 (9) |
-27 (-17) |
-36 (-33) |
-43 (-45) |
|
|
| Precipitation and Sunshine Hours |
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
Total |
| Total mm (in) |
21 (0.8) |
15 (0.6) |
22 (0.9) |
28 (1.1) |
27 (1.1) |
35 (1.4) |
59 (2.2) |
66 (2.6) |
55 (2.2) |
37 (1.5) |
29 (1.1) |
18 (0.7) |
|
412 (16.2) |
| Rainfall mm (in) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
3 (0.1) |
25 (1.0) |
59 (2.3) |
65 (2.6) |
42 (1.7) |
5 (0.2) |
1 (0) |
0 (0) |
|
198 (7.8) |
| Snowfall cm (in) |
23 (9.1) |
16 (6.3) |
25 (9.8) |
32 (12.6) |
25 (9.8) |
10 (3.9) |
0 (0) |
1 (0.4) |
14 (5.5) |
35 (13.8) |
32 (12.6) |
22 (8.7) |
|
236 (92.9) |
| Sunshine hours |
34 |
98 |
170 |
224 |
194 |
197 |
218 |
170 |
89 |
54 |
40 |
19 |
|
1506 |
| Data recorded at Iqaluit Airport for Environment Canada. Average data recorded over a 30 year span from 1971 to 2000. |
Demographics
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